Ask the Roaster - Kilian from Hoppenworth and Ploch

How was the Roastery founded, what was the inspiration?

The Roastery was founded and opened in May 2014, but the story of Hoppenworth & Ploch already began in 2008. Matthias Hoppenworth and Julian Ploch, students at that time, knew each other from sharing a student hall. There they stated to work on espresso machines as a hobby, disassembling and reassembling old ones. I guess they where mostly driven by passion and an almost childlike enthusiasm to fix and understand them. Soon they had the opportunity to open up a café on the campus of Goethe University in December 2008. They still used coffee from others but where always on the lookout for better ones. Soon they heard about the new movement, tried coffee from third wave roasters and after some time started roasting on the machines of other, rather traditional, roasters in Frankfurt. Hoppenworth & Ploch's own roasts were born. In 2014 we then finally got our own location and invested in roasting equipment including a Probat LG12, but the inner do-it-yourself espresso machine ethusiast' that inspired Matthias and Julian back then still shapes us. In 2017 we founded a spin-off "Craft Coffee Gear" where we are selling, maintaining and consulting costumers with espresso gear. I myself am here since 2014.

What's your favourite part about working at the Roastery?

I really like our team. We all are ambitious and devoted to the product on several levels, may it be roasting, machines or the brew. Everyone cares a lot and we often have different and strong opinions on things which keeps it interesting.

What's your proudest accomplishment?

Besides placing 5th in 2016's German Roasting Championship I am also proud on roasting the Nano Chala which my colleague Elisabeth placed 3rd with in the German Brewers Cup in the same year..

What three words best describe your Roastery?

Young - Enthusiatic - Regional

What’s your favourite place to enjoy a coffee, and what coffee would that be?

A friend of mine has an extraordinarily good Burger Place in Gießen, "Gutburgerlich", which also features our coffee. I really like to go there for a meal and of course I have a coffee afterwards.